Food Service Management at a Sports Arena
Going to a game is an exciting time for people. Many individuals head to the stands already deciding what condiments they want on their hot dog and what point in the game to get their cotton candy. The individual making sure every fan has the energy to cheer their team to victory is the food service manager.
Working at a sports arena can be challenging. You might go days without an event and then once it's game time you're met with a frenzy of activity. You have to work within time limits and provide a variety of food at prices that will make the venue money while still being affordable for the patrons.
Professional food service management is essential to providing a great experience for each sports fan who enters the arena. But where do you start when you're learning how to manage and operate food service for such a large venue? Here are some tips to help get you started!
Educational Focuses for Food Service Management Majors
Given the fact that a considerable number of employers tend to prefer job applicants with bachelor's degrees in food service management, earning one will most likely boost your employment chances. Even more importantly, earning a degree will teach you the jobs skills you need to help manage a large sports arena.
The managerial aspect from which food service managers take their studies, the courses taken fall into three main areas, which include:
- Financial management
- Leadership
- Operations management
Specifically, you will most likely complete programs in recordkeeping, company policies, personnel management, food preparation, sanitation, and security. For the best results, professional institutions ensure they impart both classroom and on-the-job skills to students. The approach prepares graduates for real-life running of serving food to the public.
Qualities of Successful Food Service Managers
Turning your restaurant operations into profits requires a good balance between the hands-on experience highlighted, educational qualification, and additional interpersonal skills. Top of the list is the need for business skills. Given the different food options that you should serve at a sports arena, your skills will span from budgeting and purchasing supplies to managing workers.
To succeed in purchasing supplies and worker management, communication skills play an important part. These set of skills ensure that you can communicate precisely and effectively with your employees and customers. The communication encounters will call for another important skill; customer-service skills. Through these skills, patrons will find you courteous. In the process, you will manage to pay attention to personal needs of each client. As a result, customers will keep coming back because of your satisfactory services.
Successful food service managers lead by example. To do so, one needs the appropriate leadership skills. These skills go a long way in ensuring that you maintain a working environment for optimal productivity from your workers. In addition, having to handle multiple operations like undertaking private catering requests to serving hot dogs and popcorn in the stands calls for organizational skills. It is also worth noting that the catering sector demands physical stamina. Although this quality indirectly influences the success of running a restaurant, it is necessary.
Possible Career Options
Pursing a degree in Food Service Management could be a good way of opening multiple career options after graduation. These options range from chefs and head cooks to sales managers. As such, graduates can work in many settings, which include:
- Corporate Dining Services
- Five Start Hotels and Resorts
- Corporate and Independent Restaurants
- On and Off-Premise Catering
Could you see yourself serving food to hungry sports fans? If you want to hit a home run with your career, consider earning a Bachelor of Science in Food Service Management from ECPI University. Don't hesitate to contact a friendly admissions counselor if you think this is the right degree path for you.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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Gainful Employment Information – Food Service Management - Bachelor’s
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